(Photo: WhistlePig Whiskey)

On Wednesday, WhistlePig opened presale on the 13th release in its The Boss Hog series, and this one traces its origins to a tiger nut cake recipe found carved into an Egyptian tomb more than 3,000 years old.

The Boss Hog XIII: The Golden Pharaoh is a straight rye finished in barrels seasoned with Egyptian black honey and tiger nuts. It’s the first The Boss Hog release to draw its inspiration from Africa, and the brand’s first time opening a presale window for the series.

The recipe is something of a study in misnomers. Egyptian black honey, or asal eswed, is a sugarcane molasses rather than bee honey, and remains a staple ingredient in Egyptian cooking today. Tiger nuts, meanwhile, aren’t nuts at all, but edible tubers with a flavor closer to almond or coconut, long used across Egypt and the wider Mediterranean and Middle East for food, medicine and ritual offerings.

“Through our research, we came across a tiger nut cake recipe carved into the side of a tomb dating back more than 3,000 years,” WhistlePig Whiskey Head Blender Meghan Ireland said in a news release. “We recreated the recipe on our farm and fell in love with the flavor combination. That led us to experiment with the finishing for this year’s The Boss Hog to see what those flavors could do to Rye whiskey. We were not disappointed!”

An aside for whiskey nerds: this is the first The Boss Hog I can remember that was distilled in Kentucky, a departure from the series’ more common Canadian roots (last year’s edition was distilled in Indiana) — and it comes a few months after WhistlePig opened The Vault, its bar in Louisville. Coincidence?

As always, WhistlePig says the release holds to The Boss Hog series’ five promises: single barrel, bottled at proof, powerfully complex, distinctly unique, and “Stupendous.”

Presale opens Wednesday ahead of a nationwide launch on Sept. 29. The whiskey carries a suggested retail price of $599.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle, bottled at cask strength between 102.6 and 105.6 proof (51.3-52.8% ABV).Each bottle is topped with a pewter Golden Pharaoh-inspired topper, with a limited number of bottles receiving a rare gold topper for collectors.

Review: How Does The Boss Hog XIII Golden Pharaoh Stack Up?

WhistlePig was gracious enough to send me a bottle of The Boss Hog XIII ahead of its launch for review. It’s a dense, nuanced pour that opens with warm holiday spice, honey and molasses up front, with a long finish that delivers dark chocolatey/coffee goodness and plenty of spice.

Find our full tasting notes, score and our take on how it compares to last year’s The Boss Hog are available in our complete review.

On Wednesday, the James B. Beam Distillery unveiled the 2026 edition of Old Overholt Strength Rye Aged 11 Years, a limited release bottled at 125.6 proof (62.8% ABV).

The latest expression marks the fourth annual release in the Extra Aged Cask Strength series as the Beam Suntory-owned brand continues to expand its premium rye whiskey lineup following recent launches including A. Overholt and previous Extra Aged expressions, such as last October’s release of Old Overholt Cask Strength Rye Aged 12 Years.

Distilled and barreled in the spring of 2014, the whiskey matured for 11 years across three separate warehouses in Clermont, Kentucky. According to the brand, the multi-warehouse aging strategy was designed to promote consistency while allowing the whiskey to develop a balanced, mature flavor profile over time.

Like previous releases, the 2026 edition is bottled at cask strength without chill filtration.

Old Overholt describes the whiskey as offering aromas of bold vanilla and baking spice with hints of tobacco. The palate features notes of allspice, sweet vanilla, caramel and charred oak before finishing with lingering black pepper.

The release continues Old Overholt’s focus on Kentucky-style rye, a term used to describe rye distilled from a mashbill containing relatively low rye content and higher corn content, combining rye spice with sweeter oak-driven characteristics developed during extended maturation.

The 2026 edition carries a suggested retail price of $109.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle and will be released in limited quantities nationwide.

Tasting Notes, Via Beam

Color: Golden tawny
Aroma: Bold vanilla, baking spice and hints of tobacco
Palate: Allspice, sweet vanilla, caramel and charred oak
Finish: Full-bodied with lingering black pepper

(Photos: SirDavis)

French luxury giant Moët Hennessy has reportedly sold its share in SirDavis American Whisky to Beyoncé Carter-Knowles, with whom it founded the spirits brand in 2024. Both parties have remained tight-lipped about the sale, and there are no details yet on the financial details of the purchase.

In a statement reported by Drinks Intel, a spokesperson for the brand said: “SirDavis starts its new independent chapter, after a nearly four-year transformative collaboration through creation, development and launch.

“Knowles-Carter … takes full ownership and control, making SirDavis a woman-, family- and Black-owned company. She builds on the tradition of creating and running her companies, built from the ground up.”

The brand has been described as a tribute to Beyoncé’s paternal great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, a moonshiner who stashed bottles of whiskey in the empty knots of cedar trees during Prohibition.

Nearly a century later, the pop star went in a slightly different direction. The whisky is distilled in Indiana from a mashbill of 51% rye and 49% malted barley, before being blended, finished and bottled in Beyoncé’s home state of Texas. Unsurprisingly, SirDavis benefited from a star-studded, nationwide rollout when it hit shelves two summers ago at a suggested retail price of $89.

From all outside appearances, SirDavis seems to have been a success. The brand released a cocktail kit that sold out within hours of launch, unveiled a holiday-themed pop-up in the heart of New York City and featured prominently in Beyoncé’s recent Cowboy Carter concert tour. We had nothing but good things to say when we reviewed the whisky at launch, and we’d maintain that it’s still one of the better celebrity-backed spirits on the market.

So why the sudden shakeup?

It’s hard to say for now. It is worth noting, however, that Moët Hennessy — the juggernaut behind Hennessy cognac, Dom Perignon and Krug Champagne — is currently scaling back its operations. Last summer, the conglomerate slashed nearly 13% of its global workforce in response to declining sales. Leadership reportedly plans to refocus on its biggest, best-known brands, and the sale of SirDavis may have been a result of that revival plan.

(Photo: San Francisco World Spirits Competition)

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition convenes every year to separate the wheat from the chaff (or, in the case of certain whiskeys, the rye from the wheat). First organized by the Tasting Alliance in 2000, the SFWSC has persisted for decades as the world’s largest and most prestigious alcohol judging competition. Thousands of brands face off against dozens of judges, who whittle the selection down to a small handful of winners spanning everything from tequila to ready-to-drink cocktails.

SFSWC judges award spirits Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals. Above Gold sits Double Gold; spirits that are unanimously awarded a Gold Medal by every member of the over-50-person panel. Double Gold awardees will eventually be narrowed down to a single Best In Class winner for each category at the Topo Shelf Gala, which is tentatively set to take place this November.

On Tuesday, the Tasting Alliance unveiled the six rye whiskeys that have a shot at the grand prize.

The Best in Class finalists for the rye whiskey category represent a fascinating hodgepodge of different brands, casting a wide net across Maryland, Indiana, Vermont, Kentucky, Colorado and New York. The one thing they all have in common? A well-above-average proof point. Though the competition has no criteria for ABV, judges fell head over heels for blisteringly high-proof whiskeys running the gamut from 104.8 all the way up to 148 proof. Some were helmed by local distilleries that you’ve likely never heard of; others, by the biggest names in the game.

WhistlePig The Boss Hog Collection – Boss XII Feather & Flame Rye Whiskey

(Photo: WhistlePig)

The latest release in WhistlePig’s wildly indulgent Boss Hog series, Feather & Flame is a straight rye whiskey that pays homage to Ancient Aztec flavors. The limited-edition spirit is finished in barrels seasoned with pulque curado, which the team reimagined using agave, cacao and a blend of Mexican chiltepín, guajillo and pasilla peppers. Though its price is steep (nearly $600), we’re inclined to agree with the judges on this one. Among our favorite releases from 2025, Feather & Flame is stuffed to the brim with anise, clove and butterscotch notes that play ball against a fiery green serrano and chili pepper undertone.

Read Our Full Review of WhistlePig Feather & Flame Rye Whiskey Here.

Old Overholt 12 Year Old Extra Aged Cask Strength

(Photo: Old Overholt)

Last October, Suntory Global Spirits expanded its Old Overholt line with a cask-strength 12-year-old rye bottled between 53% and 65% ABV. That makes it the oldest age statement from the oldest continually maintained whiskey brand in the United States. Superlatives aside, this is great juice. Reviewing the whiskey at launch, we found plenty to like in its thickly layered flavors of peanut brittle, chocolate-covered cherries, gingerbread and peaches, followed by a distinct pop of orange zest on the finish. The whiskey is still widely available online at its original suggested retail price of $109.99.

Read Our Full Review of Old Overholt Cask Strength 12 Year Here

O.K.I. 13-Year Single Barrel Rye Whiskey

(Photo: O.K.I.)

Distilled in Indiana, barreled in Kentucky and “loved” in Ohio, O.K.I. is no stranger to a cult-hit single-barrel whiskey release. This particular bottle is part of a series selected by founders Chad Brizendine and Jake Warm, who curated a rye aged for 13 years and bottled at 66.2% ABV (believe it or not, far from the highest proof point you’ll be seeing on this list). Judges described it as “big and unapologetic,” leading with flavors of oak, clove and a distinctly sweet rye backbone. Older single barrels from O.K.I. tend to cost a pretty penny, so expect to pay no less than $130 if you’re hunting one of these down.

Art of the Spirits Mogadishu Hazmat Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey

(Photo: Art of the Spirits/Instagram)

Art of the Spirits Mogadishu is part of a single-barrel series paying homage to Operation Gothic Serpent, a 1993 U.S. special forces mission carried out during the Somali Civil War. Though there’s a smattering of information about this whiskey online, little is known about the pick tasted at San Francisco, which appears to have been selected by Ayra’s Liquor & Store in Racine, Wisconsin. We can confirm, however, that a) there’s a helicopter on the label, b) the whiskey was aged 12 years and c) it’s bottled at an astoundingly high cask strength of 74% ABV. Judges said that it drinks with remarkable nuance and complexity, spearheaded by flavors of licorice, baked apple, allspice and tea.

Epoch Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey 6 Year Old Cask Strength

(Photo: Baltimore Spirits Company)

The Baltimore Spirits Company is dedicated to reviving the pot-distilled, Maryland rye whiskeys of Scottish and Irish settlers in the 18th century. This year’s Best In Class awardee is a cask-strength version of its flagship Epoch, aged for six years and bottled at 64.3% ABV. Described as a “bold, expressive rye with a big oak and wood-forward nose,” judges found a lot to like in its fresh, grassy flavors and lingering mint finish. The bottling is currently floating around for about $60, making it by far the cheapest selection in its category.

Kings County Barrel Strength Straight Empire Rye Whiskey

(Photo: Seelbach’s)

A highly sought-after annual release from the Brooklyn-based Kings County Distillery, Empire Rye is a whiskey made from 80% New York-grown Danko rye and 20% English barley malt. The alcohol content varies from year to year, and the San Francisco team appears to have gotten their hands on an expression bottled at 61% ABV. Judges heaped praise on its flavors of black tea, sweetened condensed milk, toffee and cinnamon, describing it as “balanced and poised at every turn.” Typically retails for around $100.

J. Rieger & Co. is a Kansas City institution — the original distillery was founded in 1887 by Austro-Hungarian immigrant Jacob Rieger before Prohibition, and his family operated it until 1919, when it became one of many American distilleries to be wiped out by Prohibition.

The brand was revived in 2014 by renowned bartender Ryan Maybee and Andy Rieger, the great-great grandson of the original founder. Rieger’s claim to fame is its “Kansas City whiskey,” which is extremely unusual due to the fact that it includes a bit of sherry in the blend.

Under-discussed among the Rieger portfolio and on a national level, however, is the brand’s straight rye whiskey, which is one of the more quietly impressive sub-$50 bottles in the category.  At $40.99, it competes with whiskeys priced well beyond it.

What Makes It Different

Rieger uses sweet mash fermentation — each batch started from scratch, rather than the sour mash method common to most American whiskey production, which reuses a portion of the previous fermented batch. It’s a more labor-intensive approach, and it contributes a richness to the finished whiskey that shows clearly in the glass. Another of America’s most underrated rye whiskey producers — Indiana’s Hard Truth — uses the sweet mash technique.

After fermentation, the whiskey is distilled in both pot and column stills. The result is then aged a minimum of four years in 53-gallon American oak barrels in Rieger’s Kansas City rickhouse, which sits right next to active railroad tracks. Whether the vibration does anything measurable to the aging whiskey barrels is debatable, but Rieger believes it has an impact.

The mashbill is 96% rye and 4% malted barley, bottled at 90 proof without chill filtration. It’s distributed in more than 20 states.

Our Tasting Notes:

The nose is lovely — pepper, clove, cardamom, ginger and cream cheese frosting. The palate is silky and flavorful: candied ginger, clove, sassafras and cardamom accented by caramel and white cake frosting. The finish opens big and spicy with powdered ginger and more clove before transitioning into leather, a touch of yuzu, and butterscotch.

For the complete tasting notes and score, click here for the full review.

The bottom line: This is a rye whiskey packed with flavor that superbly balances sweetness and spice. It drinks great neat and would be a strong base for a Manhattan, Old Fashioned or just about any whiskey cocktail you’re building. At $40.99, the value is phenomenal for a whiskey this balanced and tasty.

If you haven’t tried it, fix that.

On Thursday, Heaven Hill Distillery has announced the release of the Rittenhouse United States 250th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, a limited-edition 10-year-old Bottled-in-Bond rye whiskey created to mark America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026.

The release celebrates both the 250th anniversary of American independence and the Pennsylvania rye whiskey tradition tied to Rittenhouse Rye, which takes its name from Philadelphia’s historic Rittenhouse Square.

The commemorative whiskey is bottled at 100 proof and aged for 10 years after being distilled from a mashbill of 51% rye, 35% corn and 14% malted barley. The release is composed of 90 barrels aged across multiple rickhouses and warehouse floors, according to Heaven Hill.

The whiskey is non-chill filtered and produced under the standards of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897.

“This special release is a tribute not only to America’s 250 years of independence, but also to the enduring legacy of rye whiskey in our country’s history,” Molly Vincent, associate director of luxury whiskeys at Heaven Hill, said in a news release.

The packaging prominently features “1776–2026” branding along with patriotic red, white and blue elements and Liberty Bell imagery tied to the brand’s Pennsylvania heritage.

Heaven Hill Distillery said the whiskey will be released in limited quantities across select U.S. markets and at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience.

The suggested retail price is $99.99.

(Photos: WhistlePig Whiskey)

On Wednesday, WhistlePig Whiskey unveiled a national campaign urging Congress to recognize rye as the official whiskey of the United States, tying the initiative to the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

The campaign, which runs through July 4, centers on a public petition that, if it reaches 1,776 signatures, will be formally presented to lawmakers. The campaign is backed by Max Miller, who has more than 4 million subscribers on YouTube and is known for highlighting historical food and drink traditions.

The petition will be available to sign here.

“Rye isn’t just part of American whiskey history – it is American whiskey history,” said WhistlePig CEO Alex Roberts, pointing to rye’s prominence in early U.S. distilling before bourbon rose to dominance.

If successful, the petition would bring the question of an “official” American whiskey designation to Congress.

While most most closely associate bourbon with the U.S., rye whiskey played a central role in early American spirits production, particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where the grain was more readily available than corn. The campaign frames rye as a foundational style that predates and helped shape the broader American whiskey category.

WhistlePig has long been a leading advocate for rye and is one of the biggest faces of rye whiskey, building its portfolio around the grain and expanding into critically acclaimed experimental releases.

Limited Releases Tied Into Campaign

Alongside the petition, WhistlePig Whiskey is introducing two limited releases designed to mark the anniversary and support the “Rye, White and Blue” campaign.

The first is a special-edition version of its PiggyBank 10-year rye, packaged in its its usual pig-shaped decanter  — silver instead of gold this time, complete with flairs of red, white and blue. Bottled at 110 proof, it’s distilled from a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley and has a suggested retail price of $249.99.

The second expression, Declaration Wheat Whiskey, offers a contrasting style with a wheat-forward profile. The wheat whiskey is distilled from a mashbill of 93% wheat and 7% malted barley, double-oaked and bottled at 86 proof. It has a suggested retail price of $73.99.

(Photo: Jack Daniel’s)

On Tuesday, Jack Daniel’s unveiled its latest high-proof rye whiskey with a five batches of rye drawn from three different warehouses, highlighting how barrel location can shape whiskey.

The release pulls from Coy Hill, Boiler Hill and Fire Brigade Fields, bringing together 129 barrels filled between 2016 and 2017 and aged for an average of 10 years. Two batches come from Coy Hill, long known for producing some of the distillery’s most intense barrels, while the remaining three spotlight newer, less familiar aging locations.

Each batch is bottled at hazmat barrel proof, ranging from 142.7 to 146.1.

“I believe our Tennessee Rye Whiskey recipe is among the most exciting innovations to come out of the Jack Daniel Distillery in the past two decades,” Master Distiller Chris Fletcher said in a news release. “In recent years, we began to identify barrels at some of our hidden gem barrelhouses that were simply too low-yielding for other bottlings like Bonded Rye and Single Barrel Rye, but had the potential to produce high character whiskey. This small batch release truly showcases how place and time can create intense, bold flavor that is unmistakably Jack.”

Each whiskey is distilled from the brand’s standard rye mashbill (70% rye, 18% corn, 12% malted barley) and undergoes the usual charcoal mellowing process before aging in new oak. Rather than positioning this as a traditional, note-heavy release, the emphasis is on bold structure, high proof, and the influence of place on flavor development.

Like many of the brand’s most sought-after drops, availability is extremely tight. The 375-milliliter bottles are priced at $64.99 each and are available exclusively at the White Rabbit Bottle Shop at the distillery in Lynchburg starting Tuesday.

The release builds upon previous high-proof rye releases like last year’s Tanyard Hill.

We had a chance to taste one of the whiskeys — Jack Daniel’s Special Release Small Batch Rye Boiler Hill Batch 2 — in a virtual tasting led by Fletcher and came away highly impressed. Keep your eyes peeled for our review coming soon.

10. Fort Hamilton Rye Whiskey

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Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Rye Whiskey lands at the bottom of this list not because it’s bad, but because the competition is stiff. Distilled by Taconic Distillery and bottled under the Fort Hamilton label out of Brooklyn, this one is made from 90% New York rye grain and 10% malted barley, aged 6.5 years in American white oak and bottled at 90 proof. At $55, it’s a rock-solid representation of the New York rye scene.

9. Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Solera Method Rye

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The concept behind Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Solera Method Rye is clever: take MGP rye whiskey, run it through a solera finishing method using ex-rum casks sourced from Trinidad, Venezuela and Jamaica. The result is bottled at 95 proof, and the Caribbean rum influence gives this rye a tropical warmth that separates it from the standard MGP crowd.

8. Castle and Key Restoration Rye Batch #1

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At $39.99, Castle and Key Restoration Rye Batch #1 is the most affordable bottle on this list, and it punches well above that price point. Produced at Castle and Key’s historic Kentucky distillery from a mashbill of 63% rye, 20% malted barley and 17% yellow corn, this 3-year-old rye is bottled at around 103 proof (though the proof varies batch to batch). The relatively high malted barley content is unusual and gives the grain bill a character distinct from the high-rye Indiana style that dominates the market.

7. Three Chord RIOT Double Bonded Rye

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Three Chord RIOT Double Bonded Rye does something interesting with its sourcing: it blends two Bottled-in-Bond rye whiskeys, one from MGP in Indiana and one from Bardstown Bourbon Company in Kentucky, both made using a 95/5 rye-to-malted-barley mashbill. The result, aged between four and seven years and bottled without chill filtration at 100 proof, smells like banana pudding and cinnamon oatmeal before pivoting on the palate to ripe pear, apricot, pepper and nutmeg. The finish lands on banana walnut muffins, a whisper of oak, vanilla, coffee grounds and apple peel. It’s a touch youthful, as the reviewers noted, but the fruit-forward personality is distinctive enough to stand out in a category that can get monotonous. Around $50 for a non-chill filtered, bonded blend with this much going on is fair value.

6. Bruichladdich The Laddie Rye 7 Year Old

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Yes, this is a Scottish rye. No, that’s not a typo. Bruichladdich The Laddie Rye 7 Year Old is exactly what it sounds like: Islay’s famous scotch distillery taking a crack at a category it has no business being in, and succeeding. Distilled from 55% Islay-grown rye from Coull Farm and 45% unpeated Islay malted barley, aged seven years in bourbon and American new oak, and bottled at 100 proof, it smells like fresh-baked scones with sea salt butter, honey, cinnamon and pepper. The palate is warm and bread-forward, with walnuts, cashews and just enough spice to keep things interesting, before a finish of black pepper, buttered sourdough and chocolate-covered walnuts closes things out. Available exclusively in the U.S. at $59.99, it sits at the top of this list’s price range, but the seven-year age statement and the sheer novelty of the thing make it worth the spend.

5. High Wire Distilling New Southern Revival Rye

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High Wire Distilling New Southern Revival Rye is the wildcard of this list. Made with Wrens Abruzzi rye, an heirloom grain from the Carolinas processed in its raw, un-malted state, this 90-proof South Carolina whiskey smells like an amaro: anise, pine, orange peel, clove, brioche and almond, with a faint grainy edge that only adds to its character. The palate doubles down on that herbal, anise-and-brioche profile, adding tobacco and black pepper, before a finish that runs through almonds, blueberry, charcoal, black tea, cherry, cardamom and something that can only be described as lemon poppyseed muffin meets sassafras root. It’s a steal at $45.99, and a rye that would absolutely rule in a Manhattan.

4. Hudson Whiskey NY Short Stack

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Hudson Whiskey NY Short Stack earns its name and its 91 critics’ score with a finishing trick that sounds gimmicky until you taste it. This straight rye, distilled in New York from a 95/5 mashbill, aged at least three years in American oak and finished in Vermont maple syrup barrels, is bottled at 92 proof and priced at $55. The maple finish isn’t the heavy-handed novelty you might fear; it’s a subtle, syrupy warmth that rounds out the grain’s natural spice without smothering it. For New York rye fans, this is a more distinctive option than the Fort Hamilton entry lower on this list, and the maple barrel finishing gives it a story worth telling at a dinner party.

3. Bulleit 95 Rye Frontier Whiskey 12 Year Old (2024)

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The return of Bulleit 95 Rye Frontier Whiskey 12 Year Old is one of the better stories in recent American whiskey. Originally introduced in 2019, discontinued once the stock ran dry, and brought back in 2024 as a limited release, this MGP-distilled rye includes barrels up to 17 years old and carries a $55 price tag that looks almost absurd for a 12-year age statement. On the nose it’s pineapple and spearmint, butterscotch and cracked pepper; the palate fires off candied ginger, clove, herbal rye spice and caramel in quick succession before a long finish of pepper, spearmint and a wisp of tropical fruit. Our reviewer noted it scores a 91 and called it totally welcome in a cocktail at this price, which undersells it a bit. The complexity here is real. Grab it while it’s available, because the last run didn’t last long.

2. Sazerac Rye Whiskey Full Proof

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At $39.99 and 125 proof, Sazerac Rye Whiskey Full Proof is the value gut-punch of this list. Distilled at Buffalo Trace and released in November 2025 as a permanent addition to the Sazerac lineup, this new expression sits alongside the 90-proof and 100-proof versions of the brand but blows both of them out of the water in terms of sheer presence. The nose is a carnival of pie crust, molasses, crème brûlée, marshmallow fluff, candied ginger and orange peel, with a touch of anise lurking underneath. The palate brings cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, gingerbread, cocoa and brûléed banana, and the finish runs through brown sugar, espresso, leather and charred peaches before finally letting go. At this price, you feel like you’re stealing when you drink this bottle.

1. Jaywalk Straight Rye Whiskey

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The top spot goes to Jaywalk Straight Rye Whiskey, and it’s a deserving winner. Distilled by New York Distilling Company from a mashbill of 75% New York rye (a blend of Horton Heirloom Rye and Field Race Rye), 13% corn and 12% malted barley, this is a whiskey with serious grain provenance behind it. The blend of six, seven and eight-year-old barrels, bottled at 92 proof and priced around $55, hits the mid-shelf sweet spot with precision. The heirloom grain sourcing gives Jaywalk a terroir-driven character that most sourced ryes simply can’t replicate, and New York Distilling Company has been doing this long enough to know exactly what it’s doing. At 93 critics’ score, it’s the leader of this particular field, and at $55, it’s the kind of bottle you buy two of: one to open now and one to sit on.

This is a category with more going on than most casual rye drinkers realize. Whether the draw is heirloom grains, Caribbean rum finishes, Scottish grain experiments or a 125-proof Buffalo Trace bruiser at $40, the mid-shelf rye space is producing some of the most interesting whiskey available right now, and most of it won’t break $60.

The eight whiskeys below are ranked using The Daily Pour Critics’ Score, an aggregate of house ratings and scores from the most trusted critics across the internet. Ties are broken editorially, using price, availability and overall value as tiebreakers. Grab a glass.

8. George Dickel Rye

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George Dickel Rye is a bit of an odd duck: MGP grain, Tennessee charcoal mellowing and American oak maturation, all bottled under a brand better known for its Tennessee whiskey. That’s a lot of hands in the pot. The result is a 45% ABV, no-age-statement rye that critics scored an 85. The charcoal treatment is an unusual wrinkle for a rye, and it smooths out some of the category’s characteristic bite in ways that will please some drinkers and frustrate others who came looking for something with more edge. Selling for an average price of $27, per Wine-Searcher, it’s a serviceable pour.

7. Tincup Rye

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Also pulling an 85 from critics, Tincup Rye is another MGP-sourced pour, this one diluted with Colorado Rocky Mountain water and bottled at 45% ABV with a three-year age statement. Three years is young for rye, and the whiskey doesn’t pretend otherwise: the nose opens with spearmint and green apple, light and a little fizzy, before the palate delivers a thin-to-medium mouthfeel with crisp pear, clove and a faint ethanol prickle that reminds you exactly how recently this left the barrel. The finish is short, a bit warm, with brown sugar and pepper doing their best to close things out on a high note. It’s not a complex whiskey, and it doesn’t need to be. At this price, it’s a perfectly decent rye for mixing, and the Colorado water angle at least makes for a good conversation piece.

6. Wild Turkey 101 Rye

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Wild Turkey 101 Rye is the one on this list that critics underrated. Sitting at 85 alongside Dickel and Tincup feels like a minor injustice when you actually pour a glass. At 50.5% ABV, it hits the nose with bold brown sugar, rye spice, cracked pepper and something that smells genuinely like a loaf of sourdough coming out of the oven. The palate is medium-bodied with clove and pepper doing the heavy lifting, and the finish stretches medium-to-long, cycling through brown sugar, fresh baked rolls and more pepper in a loop that’s simple but oddly satisfying. Wild Turkey produces this using the same mashbill and barrel char profile as its standard rye, just cranked to 101 proof where it belongs.

5. Southern Star Double Rye

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Southern Star Double Rye is the most interesting production story in this roundup: a blend of sourced MGP rye and in-house straight rye from Southern Distilling Company, finished in bourbon barrels and bottled at 88 proof for around $29.99. That bourbon barrel finish shows up immediately on the nose, where honey, bold pepper, clove and ginger pile on top of each other in a way that feels more ambitious than anything else at this price point. The palate delivers peanut butter frosting, candied apples and rock candy alongside a hit of young wood that signals the in-house component still has some growing up to do. The finish is aggressively oaky at first, then settles into salted caramel and candied pecans once the tannins back off. It’s young, but Southern Distilling is clearly onto something here.

4. Rebel 100 Straight Rye Whiskey

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At $20, Rebel 100 Straight Rye Whiskey from Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown, Kentucky might be the single best dollar-per-point value on this list. Critics scored it at 86, and the specs are quietly impressive: a 51% rye, 45% corn and 4% malted barley mashbill, aged for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof. That corn-heavy grain bill for a rye pushes it closer to bourbon territory in terms of sweetness and body, which makes it an accessible entry point for drinkers who find high-rye whiskeys a bit aggressive. Four years of age at 100 proof for $20 is a deal that Lux Row has no business offering, and yet here we are.

3. Old Overholt Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye

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Old Overholt Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye adheres to the Bottled-in-Bond Act, which means one distiller, one distillery, one season, four years of barrel aging and 100 proof in the bottle, all for an MSRP of $24. Beam’s production here is about as straightforward as American whiskey gets, and that’s exactly the point. Non-chill filtration keeps the texture intact, and the 50% ABV gives the whiskey enough backbone to hold up in a Manhattan or a Boulevardier without disappearing into the mixer. Old Overholt has been around since 1810, which makes it one of the oldest rye whiskey brands in the country, and the Bottled-in-Bond expression is the version that actually does the legacy justice.

2. Old Forester Rye

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Old Forester Rye, bottled at 50% ABV and priced around $22.99, is Brown-Forman doing what Brown-Forman does best: making a clean, well-constructed whiskey and pricing it like they want you to actually buy it. The nose is fresh and crackly, all pepper, clove and a swipe of spearmint with a brown sugar backbone. The palate runs thin-to-medium in body but packs in coffee, toffee and more clove with just enough oak to remind you it spent time in a barrel. The finish is the most interesting part, running long and leaning slightly bitter before brown butter and brown sugar pull it back into line. Cocktail drinkers should keep a bottle of this permanently on hand.

1. Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky Bottled-In-Bond

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Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky Bottled-In-Bond is the undisputed king of the bottom shelf, and an 89 from critics at a $25 MSRP is almost an embarrassment of riches. Heaven Hill produces this in Bardstown, Kentucky from a 51% rye, 37% corn and 12% malted barley mashbill, and the Bottled-in-Bond designation means the same guarantees apply here as with Old Overholt: single distillery, single season, four years minimum, 100 proof. What sets Rittenhouse apart is texture and intensity. The nose opens with caramel, warm cinnamon and molasses that smells like a bakery that also happens to distill whiskey. The palate is spicier and hotter than you might expect, with rye spice, vanilla and more molasses layering over a faint metallic note that adds character rather than detracting from it. The finish burns pleasantly and long, cycling back through sweet vanilla and molasses in a loop that’s hard to put down.